Week 20 of Your Pregnancy

Perhaps for the first time in months, you feel upbeat, healthy and even sexy! Indeed, many Singaporean mums find the second trimester a lot easier than the first. As your baby’s cognitive and muscular functions continue to develop, here are some tips to help keep your iron levels in check. 

Mama mia! You're halfway through your pregnancy! If you are carrying a girl, she will be developing a uterus, and her ovaries will contain some primitive eggs. If it’s a boy, his testes will start developing¹.

Though the production of new nerve cells will come to a slow, more complex connections would start to form. In fact, your baby’s nervous and muscular systems will be so developed that he or she would get to enjoy a satisfying strrrrretch³! 

Your Baby

The lanugo hair has spread all over your baby's body, which makes it look like a little puppy. However, it will shed completely when you reach the 8th month of your pregnancy. At week 20, it's the size of a mango. Its heartbeat is now strong and can be detected easily.

Your body

Back pain may occur at week 20. Pay attention to your posture and walk upright. Supporting straps can be worn to relieve your back aches. Your bust size will continue increasing significantly.. If daddy is lucky, he may be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat when he puts his ears on your tummy.

Iron Awe

Whether you’re pregnant or not, most women need 14.8mg of iron a day⁸. Iron is needed in order for your blood cells to carry oxygen around your body⁴ and to your baby. Iron also contributes to your baby’s normal cognitive function⁵. This explains why your doctor is obsessed with checking if you have anaemia, a condition caused by iron deficiency⁶!

Have your friends commented that you look unusually pale? If your doctor says you have low haemoglobin levels, you are not alone. However, you will need iron supplements if your levels are very, very low⁷.

Adding Iron to Your Diet

Here are some tips on helping your body absorb more iron: Take Vitamin C and iron at the same time! Vitamin C is known to improve iron uptake, so top your spinach salad with kiwi slices, or drink a glass of orange juice with iron-fortified whole-grain cereal!

Calcium, on the other hand, inhibits your body’s ability to absorb iron, as well as certain compounds found in tea and coffee⁹. Try drinking a glass of fruit juice or eating a piece of fruit with high vitamin C content with or after iron-rich meals⁹.

• Here are some iron-rich foods you can add to your diet:
• Well-cooked lean meat, and oily fish
• Dark green vegetables, including broccoli, watercress, spinach and kale
• Nuts, especially cashew nuts
• Pulses, chickpeas, beans and lentils
• Wholegrains, including wholemeal bread, and iron-fortified breakfast cereals
• Dried fruits, such as apricots, prunes and raisins
• Eggs